Spicy Ketchup 1.0

This ketchup smells amazing while it is cooking. Aaaa....Maz...ing! I think I would make it for that reason alone. ;) The recipe is from Michael Symon and his book Live to Cook. I tinkered with the ingredients of course, changing out the peppers to suit my tastes....along with a few other things. I do skip running the final ketchup through a sieve at the end of the puree stage. The texture could be smoother, but I'm content without going to the extra effort.

I'm surprised it took me so long to try making my own ketchup actually. I'm even more surprised I haven't done my own BBQ sauce yet. Ehehehe. I am a BBQ hound and nothing makes me happier than Paul firing up the grill on the weekend.

I keep about half a cup on hand in the fridge and freeze the rest in half cup servings. I use a lot less ketchup than I used to. Freezing in ice cube trays would probably work nicely as well. So much less salt than bottled ketchup let me tell you. Watch what tomato paste you use though...most paste is very low in salt but a couple brands really do pack it in there.


Spicy Ketchup 1.0

1 onion, diced
2 banana peppers, diced
1 anaheim pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1.5 tbls diced garlic
1 tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbls brown sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 cinnamon stick
6 oz can tomato paste
2 tbls apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp cajun seasoning

Saute onion, garlic, peppers, and red pepper flakes in olive oil over medium high heat in skillet. Add brown sugar, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper, cajun seasoning, tomato paste, and vinegar. Stir together and cook for a few minutes. Add 4 cups water to mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for one hour. Remove cinnamon stick. Puree mixture and then chill. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.